This book has had a lot of hype, so I was anxious to read it. The writing was beautiful, especially keeping in mind that this is the author’s first book. The story just moved incredibly slow for me. There were pages and pages where nothing really happened. It’s unfortunate because the writing style was lovely and there were some beautiful phrases that I found myself reading multiple times. It was just too slow for me and felt long, even though it was less than 300 pages. I would read more by this author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Lightness is a raw and open book about bonding when least expected. Definitely recommend this book! 

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! I am blown away. This was like Girl, Interrupted meets The Craft meets eastern enlightenment. I throughly enjoyed it; completely spellbinding.

Surprisingly raw and emotional novel. The characters were well developed. The pacing was a bit slow in places but it worked with the overall style and format.

The Lightness joins the ranks of recent novels that deal with the close bonds young girls form, and the uncanny which can accompany those relationships and the way they manifest. Temple creates an insulated little world from which to observe them, and though that observation is skewed by an unreliable narrator who knows she’s unreliable, watching them maneuver through their world and their friendships is still compelling. When Olivia addresses you as a reader it is disconcerting, which is what makes it so effective. The fact that both of Olivia parents are unsympathetic characters also adds to the tone the book is setting, set aside from the parental stand-ins who have significant roles, though less back story, making them much more satisfying.  

The book did often have me opening up searches for various pieces of art, quotes, and historical figures, and those rabbit holes were pleasant journeys. 

While I mostly enjoyed this book, I think I would have liked it more if it had been 100 pages shorter. Brevity might have made the frequent threats of “If we’d only known then what we know now”  promising future revelations, more powerful, rather than “that old slog” (in the words of our narrator). What might have been profound begins to sound desperate. And the unreliable narrator bit is pushed a little too far in the conclusion. I understand she's inviting you to make your own assumptions, but too many options can be a hindrance, rather than a freedom.

Also: Queerbait.

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley.